Wednesday, December 01, 2004

Winecology: Jacob's Creek Reserve Riesling South Australia 2003

My Wine Blogging Wednesday luck continues to go well. For WBW #4 Derrick at an Obsession With Food has chosen a New World Riesling theme. This time around I had my wife select the wine since we have several bottles of Riesling in the collection. She selected the 2003 Jacob's Creek Reserve Riesling. Anybody who has been in a wine shop or grocery store wine section will have most certainly stumbled across a Jacob's Creek wine. Jacob's Creek is an Australian mega-producer that has been around for roughly 30 years. I have had consistently good experiences with their wine, which are almost all in the less than $15 price range and widely available.The 2003 Reserve Riesling is sourced from several appellations in South Australia. The winemaker's notes highlight that three individually made wines were blended,

"to capture the attributes from each region. The rich floral fruit of Barossa Valley Riesling, the lemon citrus of Eden Valley and the tropical lime characters of Clare Valley have been combined to produce and (sic) Jacobs Creek Reserve Riesling of outstanding quality."

My experience with the wine confirms the successful blending from the three regions. The wine had a light straw color in the glass with distinct green hues. It also showed striking clarity. The aromas of citrus fruit and floral were pronounced. This dry Riesling brought immediate tartness and crispness to the palette. The wine had a mouth-filling effervescence. Fresh lemon-lime flavors transitioned into mineral notes that echoed throughout the long finish. A steal at the price.I enjoyed the wine with an entree-sized spinach salad complete with grilled chicken, goat cheese, red onions, tomatoes and mushrooms.Rating - 9.0 out of 10Price - $11